Biodesign Institute
Antarctic Wildlife Disease Ecology Fund
Antarctic Wildlife Disease Ecology Fund
Learn more about your impact
Your generosity will help protect Antarctica’s penguins, seals and other wildlife by supporting critical research into emerging diseases in one of the last places on Earth largely untouched by human development. As the climate rapidly changes and highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) spreads into the Antarctic region, understanding wildlife health has become increasingly urgent.
Professor Arvind Varsani and his collaborators at Arizona State University, along with national and international research partners, have spent more than a decade studying viruses in penguins, seals, skuas and other Antarctic wildlife. Their work has uncovered dozens of previously unknown viruses and now includes active surveillance for H5N1, helping scientists understand how viruses spread, evolve and move between species.
Impact of donor support
- Pivotal decisions are put into action. The current dilemmas facing Earth, humanity and other life forms command urgency. Your gift accelerates wide-reaching, collaborative work to rapidly heal and preserve the environment.
- More communities live happier, healthier lives. Your support advances policies, technologies, research and on-site efforts ensuring communities have access to the most basic necessities of food, shelter and clean water.
- Animals do not suffer. From the deepest depths of the ocean to the highest canopies of Earth’s jungles, animals of all kinds receive the care, protection and compassion they require.
- A sustainable future is possible. You support students, faculty and staff at ASU who are working on sustainable solutions for critical issues like food security, biodiversity conservation, water preservation and achieving a carbon negative economy.
